As Seen in USA Today: These 12 gadgets make the perfect gifts for family

Posted on: December 5th, 2016 by JJ 13 Comments

The old days where gadgets were only on a couple of your holiday wish lists is long gone. This year, everyone and their grandma — no, seriously, even grandma — has something techy and gadget-ish in mind. Here are 12 ideas to get you started (or maybe even finished) with something perfect for every member of your family.

FOR THE LITTLE ONES:

LeapFrog LeapStart: The LeapFrog LeapStart checks off all the boxes when it comes to giving young ones a gift that’s as engaging and fun — as it is educational. The new LeapStart is a high-tech, skill-based, super fun learning system where kids solve fun puzzles and play interactive games. You slide the activity books into the battery-powered LeapStart folder and your kids command the easy-to-grasp stylus while they fall in love with the cute characters and rewarding problem solving. Each activity book is packed with more than 30 different challenges and games, so it’s downright impossible for them to get bored. LeapStart comes in two versions, one for kids 2-4 ($29.99) and one for ages 5-7 ($29.99). Extra activity books are $9.99.

Skylanders Imaginators

I’ve recommended Skylanders games in the past for their lighthearted action and hilarious stories, but this year the developers at Activision really went all-out: Now your kids can actually create Skylanders characters of their very own, and play with them in the game! In the new game, Skylanders Imaginators ($59.99), kids create a custom Skylander that gets stored on a special “Creation Crystal,” so they can even take their character to friends houses and play in their games, too. It’s a super cool idea that draws on your child’s creativity and really makes them feel like they’re in the game. Ages 10 and up.

Anki Cozmo

I just can’t get enough of this adorable little robot, and if it can enamor me, you and your kids are going to absolutely fall in love. Cozmo ($179.99) is smaller than a baseball but has more personality than any toy you’ve ever seen before. He’s just a little robot, but he’s packed with smarts and can recognize faces, scurry around your tabletop, and play games with everyone in your home. Your kids will use his cute little “Power Cubes” to construct puzzles and challenges for him, and when he looks up at you and says your name, you’ll just plain melt. Ages 8 and up.

FOR THE TEENS:

 Lenovo Yoga Book

It’s a laptop, it’s a tablet, it’s — okay, it’s not a superhero, but the Lenovo Yoga Book ($499) will definitely make your teen feel like one. This thing does it all: It’s a canvas for digital art, an internet-browsing rockstar, and an all-in-one media center. Your kid will go from jotting down notes with the stylus and typing school papers to playing games and using apps on the gorgeous 10-inch HD display. They’ll do all of that on the same machine, without ending up with a dead battery. It’s so cool, you might find yourself “borrowing” it while they’re at class.

 Galaxy Gear VR

Let me guess: Your teenager wants a new phone for Christmas, and also a VR headset. Of course they do! But before you torch your credit card just to see them smile, believe it or not, you can actually get them both without breaking the bank. The Galaxy Gear VR ($99) is an impressive virtual reality device that uses any newer Galaxy phone (starting with the S6 and newer) as its display. You just snap the phone into place and boot up some jaw-dropping VR apps, then when you’re done, the phone goes back to being a Snapchat and messaging machine. You can pick one up for a fraction of the cost of a full-on VR headset like the Oculus Rift, and your gotta-have-it teen will be so into the games and apps they won’t even know the difference.

FOR MOMS AND DADS:

 Honeywell Lyric T5 Wi-Fi Thermostat

If you didn’t think a thermostat could be cool, I don’t blame you. I kind of felt the same way before I saw Honeywell’s Lyric T5 Wi-Fi thermostat ($149.99). This super easy-to-use smart home accessory makes setting temperatures and schedules a breeze, and you can add geo-fences to customize how it heats or cools your home. It can even adapt itself based on your schedule, and save you big bucks when it knows you’re out of the house. It’s like have a little energy-saving assistant who tends to your temps, and it looks so, so cool.

Amazon Echo Dot

Add the power of AI to any room in your house with the Echo Dot ($49.99). The smaller, more affordable version of Amazon’s original Alexa assistant packs the same power, so you can search the web with your voice, play songs, audiobooks, and podcasts just by asking, and even order Domino’s pizza using Amazon’s quirky virtual gal.

Navdy

Another gadget pulled from my favorite reviews from 2016, Navdy ($799.00) is a futuristic heads-up-display that pops into a mount on your dashboard, plugs into your car’s OBD port, syncs with your smartphone and projects messages, maps and apps right into your line of sight. All your important alerts appear to float above the road as you’re driving, so you never have to look down to catch a text or check your GPS. Super smart, and super safe!

Nikon D3400

The Nikon D3400 ($499.95) is an easy-to-use entry level DSLR camera, ideal for someone ready to step up their photography from their smartphone. Compact, lightweight and packed with powerful imaging technology, the D3400 offers a Guide Mode, which provides step-by-step assistance in capturing the perfect shot. Another consumer-friendly feature is Nikon SnapBridge — an app makes it easy to share amazing images instantly.

HP Sprocket

 How many times have you heard “Be sure to send me that photo!” at your holiday parties? Nobody ever remembers! HP’s Sprocket photo printer ($129.99) is like a photo sharing dream come true. No more jotting down email addresses and sending messy files, just print your photos right from your smartphone, with no ink and no headache. It connects via Bluetooth and it’s so small it can just hang out in your pocket or bag. It’s a must-have for every family photo buff.

FOR YOUR FURRY FAMILY:

Furbo

 Your best furry friend will absolutely eat this one up. Furbo ($249.00) is a treat-shooting dog camera that lets you give your pooch a tasty snack even when you’re not at home. With the Furbo app you can see live video of pup and then just swipe the touchscreen to shoot a treat. You can keep an eye on your pet from anywhere, and you know they’ll love it too.

FOR THE GRANDPARENTS:

Enjoy

And finally, give yourself the gift of some peace of mind — and have an expert set up your family’s gadgets so you don’t have to. Enjoy is a service that sends professional tech experts to your home to help you set up new gadgets and answer any questions that might pop up. Products run the gamut, and include top name brand sound systems, cameras, computers, electric skateboards, smart phones and more, and it’ll save you some serious headache.

Jennifer Jolly is an Emmy Award-winning consumer tech contributor and host of USA TODAY’s digital video show TECH NOW. Follow her on Twitter @JenniferJolly.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Posted in Connected Kids, Digital Parenting, Girlfriend's Guide, In The Press, TechStyled, Tips & Tricks, Top tech news, What The Tech

13 Responses

  1. An added important area is that if you are an older person, travel insurance pertaining to pensioners is something you must really take into consideration. The elderly you are, a lot more at risk you will be for permitting something poor happen to you while abroad. If you are never covered by many comprehensive insurance, you could have many serious problems. Thanks for discussing your advice on this blog.

  2. Shared Proxy says:

    Private proxies and best prices: 50 discount, free proxies and promotions – just on https://DreamProxies.com

  3. Simply wanna comment on few general things, The website style is perfect, the subject matter is very fantastic : D.

  4. An outstanding share! I’ve just forwarded this onto a coworker who has been conducting a little homework on this. And he actually ordered me breakfast due to the fact that I discovered it for him… lol. So allow me to reword this…. Thanks for the meal!! But yeah, thanx for spending the time to discuss this matter here on your internet site.

  5. bookmarked!!, I really like your web site!

  6. Just wanna admit that this is invaluable, Thanks for taking your time to write this.

  7. Hey, I think your site might be having browser compatibility issues.
    When I look at your blog site in Firefox, it looks fine but when opening in Internet Explorer, it has some overlapping.
    I just wanted to give you a quick heads up! Other then that, amazing blog!

  8. Howdy! I just would like to give you a huge thumbs up for your excellent information youve got here on this post. I am coming back to your web site for more soon.

  9. When I originally left a comment I appear to have clicked the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and now each time a comment is added I receive 4 emails with the exact same comment. Is there a way you are able to remove me from that service? Cheers!

  10. edignig says:

    half life of lasix About half of women have dense breasts, which itself is not a negative

  11. From Zero to Hero. My newly reinvigorated wife calls Cialis “the 8th Wonder of the World!” So, from the Struggle to the Reckoning and everything in between: from Bored, Deplored and Ignored to Lord of the Sword Restored now Adored. She’s Floored. I Scored. Hard to Afford yet Cialis wins, Top Shelf Award.

  12. go here says:

    Very useful info! Just what I was dfgdfgdf fgdfg searching for! I definitely appreciate your time too. Looking forward to reading more.

Leave a Reply